“You heard what Bubbe wrote in the letter. It’s obvious that Mama’s nervous. What do you think is going on?”

Elka

Mama was coming home early this afternoon to take Yisroel to the doctor, so I didn’t have to rush home from school. Miriam, Leiba, and I slowly walked towards our house from the school building, Leiba jumping in every puddle we passed. Usually, we didn’t let her. Her socks would get wet and her shoes would get wet, and how would we dry them? But today was calm, relaxed, and Leiba jumped to her heart’s content. I would take care of her socks and shoes when we got home.

“What do you think is going on with Dovid?” I asked Miriam suddenly. We didn’t usually talk about what was going on in our family, but Faiga wasn’t with us today — she had to rush home even though we didn’t.

“He’s angry,” Miriam said shortly in that quiet way of hers.

“I know,” I grimaced. Why did Miriam always have to be so placid? “But what’s going on with him? Why is Mama nervous about him?”

“What makes you think Mama’s nervous?” Miriam asked.

“You heard what Bubbe wrote in the letter. It’s obvious that Mama’s nervous. What do you think is going on?”